The present invention relates to a technical field of a game scene reproducing machine and a game scene reproducing system. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a game reproducing machine and a game reproducing system which are capable of outputting an image, on which a scene of a game displayed on the display screen in a computer game machine etc. (sometime simply referred to as xe2x80x9cgame machinexe2x80x9d) is reproduced, preferably, in a high quality.
Some computer game machines (their game software, i.e. applications) provide a service for entirely or partly outputting a scene of a game (a game scene), which is displayed on a display screen of a display unit, while the game is being executed, as a print of a seal, a poster, and the like.
In the print service, an operator (player) of a game inputs his or her desire for outputting a print of a game scene image through a button or a command disposed on a game machine at the time the game scene is displayed while the game is being executed. This information is recorded in a memory included in a game cartridge or the like or in a dedicated memory. When the player, that is, the user delivers the memory to a print shop and requests to create a print therefrom, a print, on which the desired game scene is reproduced, is created and supplied to the user.
In the above print service of the game scene, it is contemplated to store the image data of the game scene in a memory as it is, and to output the image data as a print after it is subjected to predetermined processing steps.
It is, however, contemplated that a sufficient quality is recently obtained in an image of a game scene displayed on a display screen of the game machine so long as it is a display screen on a display unit. When the game scene is output as a print using the image data thereof, however, it can never be said that the print has a sufficient quality with respect to spatial resolution, density resolution, and the like. Further, since enlargement of an image carried out by image data processing inevitably deteriorates its quality, a print size also is restricted.
There also is contemplated a method of improving the quality itself of a game scene of a display screen. In this method, however, not only an amount of image data to be stored in a memory is greatly increased but also the image display capability of a game machine main body and game software must be extensively improved, which is very disadvantageous from a view point of cost.
Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to solve the problems inherent in the conventional art and to provide a game scene reproducing machine and a game scene reproducing system which are capable of outputting any arbitrary game scene while a game is being executed in a computer game machine as a piece of image or a plurality of images that are continuous (motion picture images or animation images), in particular, as a high quality image, or a motion picture image or an animation image of high definition, for example, as a print such as a photo print, a seal print, a poster, and an index print, or capable of outputting as an image data of such images to an image data recording medium, or transferring the image data via communication networks such as Internet.
A secondary object of the present invention is, in addition to the primary object thereof, to provide a game scene reproducing system capable of increasing amusements of users of a plurality of computer game machines that are connected to a game scene reproducing machine via communication networks such as Internet.
To achieve the above-mentioned primary object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a game scene reproducing machine, comprising a reproducing unit for reproducing a game scene in a game machine having an instruction unit for instructing output of the game scene displayed on a display screen while a game is being executed, and outputting game scene reproducing information which includes game history information having timing information of a timing, at which an instruction of the output is instructed by the instruction unit, and control information and manipulation information of the game executed in the game machine, and a receiving unit for receiving the game scene reproducing information outputted from the game machine wherein the game scene that is instructed by the instruction unit to be outputted, is reproduced by the reproducing unit in accordance with the game history information received by the receiving unit, and image data of the game scene that has been reproduced, is outputted.
Preferably, the reproducing unit executes a game software for reproducing the game scene of the same game as the game that is executed by the game machine so that the game scene that has been instructed to be outputted, is reproduced.
Preferably, the image data of the game scene to be outputted is an image data of high definition image than an image data of the game scene that has been displayed on the display screen of the game machine.
Preferably, the image data of the high definition image is superior in at least one of spatial resolution, gradation resolution, and a number of drawn polygons as compared with those of the image data of the game screen of the game machine.
Preferably, the image data of the high definition image is an image data that has been subjected to the other image processing which is different from image processing executed in the game machine while the game is executed, and the other image processing is at least one of computer graphics technology selected from the group consisting of texture mapping, bump mapping, fogging, alpha rendering, bi-linear filtering, tri-linear filtering, MIP map, anti-aliasing, multi-pass rendering, radio city rendering, ray tracing, fractal, random fractal, fractal noise, cell automaton, Bezier curve, spline curve, NURBS.
Preferably, the image data of the game scene to be outputted is an image data subjected to at least one of special finishing processing and reproducing processing from a different view point.
Preferably, the game scene reproducing machine further comprises an image data converting unit for converting the image data of the game scene that has been reproduced, into an output image data in correspondence with an output format.
Preferably, the output format is at least one selected from the group consisting of a print output, recording to an image data recording medium and an image data transfer via a communication network.
Preferably, the game scene reproducing machine further comprises a comment information addition unit for adding comment information onto the image of the game scene to be outputted.
Preferably, the game scene reproducing information includes, in addition to the game history information, at least one selected from the group consisting of order information of the image of the game scene to be outputted, order person identification information and comment information, and the game machine outputs, in addition to the game history information, the game scene reproducing information that includes at least one selected form the group consisting of the order information of the image of the game scene to be outputted, the order person identification information, and the comment information.
Preferably, the game scene reproducing information that has been outputted by the game machine, is stored to a detachable memory that has been mounted or connected to the game machine, and the receiving unit is a unit for reading out the game scene reproducing information from the detachable memory.
Preferably, the receiving unit is connected to the game machine, or a memory that is built in, mounted or connected to the game machine via a communication network, the game machine directly outputs the game scene reproducing information to the communication network or outputs the game scene reproducing information to the communication network, after the game machine temporarily stores the game scene reproducing information to the memory that is built in, mounted or connected to the game machine, and the receiving unit receives the game scene reproducing information via the communication network.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a game scene reproducing system, comprising a game machine having an instruction unit for instructing output of a game scene displayed on a display screen while a game is being executed, and outputting game scene reproducing information, which includes game history information having timing information of a timing, at which an instruction of the output is instructed by the instruction unit, and control information and manipulation information of the game executed in the game machine, a game scene reproducing machine having a reproducing unit for reproducing the game scene in the game machine and a receiving unit for receiving the game scene reproducing information outputted from the game machine, in which the game scene that is instructed by the instruction unit to be outputted, is reproduced by the reproducing unit in accordance with the game history information received by the receiving unit, and image data of the game scene that has been reproduced, is outputted, and a communication network in which the game machine and the game scene reproducing machine are connected.
Preferably, the reproducing unit executes a game software for reproducing the game scene of the same game as the game that is executed by the game machine so that the game scene that has been instructed to be outputted, is reproduced.
To achieve the above-mentioned secondary object, according to a third aspect of the present invention, there is further provided a game scene reproducing system, comprising, a plurality of game machines each having an instruction unit for instructing output of a game scene displayed on a display screen while a game is being executed, and outputting game scene reproducing information which includes game history information having timing information of a timing, at which an instruction of the output is instructed by the instruction unit, and control information and manipulation information of the game executed in the game machine, a game scene reproducing machine having a reproducing unit for reproducing the game scene in at least one of the plurality of game machines and a receiving unit for receiving the game scene reproducing information outputted from the at least one of the plurality of game machines, in which the game scene that is instructed by the instruction unit to be outputted, is reproduced by the reproducing unit in accordance with the game history information received by the receiving unit, and image data of the game scene that has been reproduced, is outputted, and a communication network in which the plurality of game machines and the game scene reproducing machine are connected, wherein the at least one of the plurality of game machines outputs the game scene reproducing information of the game scene instructed by the instruction unit to the receiving unit of the game scene reproducing machine via the communication network.
Preferably, the reproducing unit executes a game software for reproducing the game scene of the same game as the game that is executed by the game machine so that the game scene that has been instructed to be outputted, is reproduced.
Preferably, the communication network is an interactive communication network, and the game scene reproducing machine outputs the image data of the game scene that has been reproduced by the game scene reproducing unit, to the plurality of game machines to be displayed on the display screen.
Preferably, the image data of the game scene that has been reproduced by the game scene reproducing machine is displayed as a reproduced image on the display screen of each of the plurality of game machines that specified members have, and the reproduced image is an assembled image representing at least one of a ranking and scoring of the specified members.